RESIDENTS are angry after being told to take down 'impromptu' play equipment they set up because of problems with drug users at their local playground.

People living in Wren Avenue, in Pickersleigh, Malvern, created the impromptu playground on an open area outside their homes because they say yobs and drug users infest the official play area on the estate.

Resident Paul Coomber said: "We did it last year, because there are people dealing drugs in the playground and teenagers pee down the slide. It's also 200 yards away, and the kids have to cross a road that people use as a racetrack to get to it.

Neighbours put their heads together, and put out a paddling pool, swing, trampoline and other play equipment on the grass outside their homes.

But on Friday, a Fortis Living representative saw what they had done and told them to put the equipment away.

Mr Coombes said: "She said that someone who was drunk or on drugs could fall into the pool or get tangled up in the swing, so we had to take it all down. That really made me see red."

On Wednesday, Mr Coombes got a letter from Fortis saying that if the equipment was not removed, Fortis would take it away and charge the cost to him.

He said: "All we are doing is making things better for the families that live here. We did it last summer and nobody complained."

In a statement, Fortis Living said that the equipment in question was on communal land adjacent to a public footpath, which presents a health and safety hazard for passing pedestrians, particularly in the evenings when visibility is reduced.

"We have explained this to the tenants concerned and also pointed out one of our agreed tenancy agreement terms which is not to obstruct or leave rubbish, dangerous materials or belongings which could cause a health and safety risk in any shared areas, in the building or on the estate," says the statement.

Clare Jackson, executive director of housing, care and communities said: “We do appreciate that the belongings in question were put out to benefit local children but unfortunately this is one of those situations where as a landlord, we have the responsibility of making decisions for the good of the community as a whole. There are play facilities available nearby on Elgar Avenue and we would encourage the use of them.”